The invention generally relates to flow control, and more particularly, the invention relates to controlling the permeability of a fluid control material to regulate the flow of well fluid.
A typical subterranean well includes various production zones from which well fluid is produced and communicated to the surface of the well through one or more production strings. As a more specific example, to produce well fluid from a horizontal, or lateral wellbore, a typical subterranean well may include a base pipe that extends into the lateral wellbore. At different segments of the pipe, radial openings are formed in the base pipe for purposes of allowing well fluid to flow from the surrounding formation(s) into the central passageway of the pipe. For each segment, a screen that is coaxial with the base pipe may circumscribe the pipe for purposes of preventing debris from entering the pipe's central passageway.
Over the lifetime of a well, one or more of the zones that were originally targeted for production may begin producing an undesirable amount of water. Therefore, it may become desirable to shut down production from such water-producing zones, as the zones are identified. A valve, such as a sleeve valve, may be installed in each zone for this purpose. However, valves such as sleeve valves may be relatively expensive and complex, and these valves may be subject to failure over the lifetime of the well.
Thus, there exist a continuing need for an arrangement and/or technique to address one or more of the problems that are set forth above as well as address possibly one or more problems that are not set forth above.